


Day One Hundred Ninety-Four || A Label You Hate

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [194]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 01:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19802146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Sasuke can't bring himself to care less what anyone thinks of him...but his family is another matter. Thankfully he's got someone to vent to.





	Day One Hundred Ninety-Four || A Label You Hate

He tries not to let it bother him.

In truth, when it comes to himself, Sasuke couldn’t care less what people think of him, what they call him, what they blame him for. He made peace with his own decisions as he made them. Even after all was said and done, there’s little he regrets. And that which he does, he knows there was no avoiding. The confrontation with Itachi was almost destined: he had no means to know Itachi’s truth, and therefore reasons to rescind his vow of vengeance upon his brother.

His actions after leaving Konoha - joining Orochimaru, aiding Obito, trying to wipe the Kage slate clean - have been questioned and scrutinized since they came to light. But though they weren’t the best path, Sasuke also knows it was one he had to walk.

And it’s not like he’s not attempting to make amends. True, he’d planned to travel, watch the world be reborn, and see what changes he himself could make with his new power. But in the end...he came back. Itachi’s return, his niece and nephew, and Shisui’s revelation of life all but solidified his intentions: if this is where his family is to be, then...he’ll be here too.

He hasn’t fully come to trust and feel comfortable in his birth village yet. Those responsible for the Uchiha massacre are all either dead, or stripped of power. And they, in truth, were the true roots of evil in Konoha.

...but he knows there are more.

There will always be more.

But, for now...Konoha is home once again. It’s where his brother’s family and his cousin remain. And though Sasuke has plans to help reshape Konoha from the inside alongside Itachi’s ANBU, he knows that will be a long road he’ll likely have to walk for the rest of his life. But he’s patient.

...but if anything happens to those he has left - if Konoha lifts a hand against them - he won’t hesitate to remove it. And then burn the rest to the ground. He’s paid far too much into this place to tolerate anything further against them. The Uchiha have more than paid their dues. Should anyone attempt to take anything else...Sasuke _will not_ stand for it.

But it hasn’t all been easy. His agemates are still wary, even his team...which he can’t blame them for. The village as a whole - even after Itachi’s pardon by Kakashi - still mostly glower at any who dare to wear the Uchiha fan and flame.

When it comes to anyone giving him lip, Sasuke just brushes it off. Everyone knows he’s far too powerful to actually stand up against...but that doesn’t mean they don’t risk trying to push his boundaries just shy of his breaking point. He could swat them like flies...but he won’t. Words can’t hurt him. Little petty actions, either. The only thing he’d make a fuss over is anyone doing the same to his family.

...and they do.

Itachi - for reasons Sasuke feels he only partially understands - is rarely out in public. He’s either at home in the manor with his family, or at work. The younger brother assumes it’s to avoid the jeering and muttering, but he also figures Itachi cares little for anyone’s opinion. After all...he spent nearly a decade being hated by nearly everyone. Surely by now he’s numb to it.

But what truly pisses Sasuke off more than anything...are the accusations people throw at his brother.

Namely one label in particular: traitor.

Oh, how it boils his blood…! By now, everyone knows the story - the one Kakashi told when pardoning Itachi in the first place. The truth behind the massacre, Itachi’s mission, and the reasons behind his actions. Everyone knows he’s not really a traitor. Everything - even his death - was for the good of this thankless, petty village! Even now he serves them in the shadows within ANBU as he did before the fall of his clan.

So why…?! _Why_ do they still regard him so? He only did what he was told - what their precious Konoha dictated to him, a boy with the world on his shoulders at thirteen. Manipulated not only by Konoha’s Kage and council, but the shadowy leader of Akatsuki. Sasuke knows more than anyone that the gentle boy Itachi had been wanted anything but such violence...but he had been led to believe it was the only way.

Sasuke can’t help but wonder if some kind of shame makes his brother hide as he does. Shame at falling for the tricks of those older than him. Shame at taking a route that may not have been as necessary as he’d been made to believe. Shame at having that truth exposed.

But his wife is right...if they are to truly clear the slate within Konoha, the Uchiha’s truth must be brought to light. If for no one else...then for the sake of their children. The past cannot be allowed to be repeated.

Or forgotten.

Itachi’s begged Sasuke not to lose his temper for his sake. But Sasuke now lives for one thing, and one thing only...and that is his family. The few shreds of it he has left.

But given Itachi’s insistence...he has no one to vent his frustrations to.

Well...almost no one.

“I just don’t get it,” he seethes one afternoon. “These people are so ungrateful…! If it wasn’t for Itachi and his sacrifices, there would have been civil war! So many more people would have died! And with Konoha weakened from the inside, it would be all too easy for the other lands to start yet another war trying to claim Hi no Kuni with it vulnerable!”

Across from him, brows wilted in a mix of concern and sympathy, Hinata just...sits and listens. The pair are currently seated at an outdoor table out front of a small cafe. Their blooming friendship - born out of things like the Hyūga and Uchiha alliance, and the rest of team seven making them third and fourth wheels - means that she’s one of, if not the only, person beyond his family he feels he can truly talk to.

“Bunch of ungrateful pricks,” he scowls, head held in a hand as he leans on the table with an elbow. “And Itachi just...takes it! Doesn’t say a word, lift a finger!”

“Well…” Hinata offers softly. “Neither do you, when it comes to people insulting _you_.”

“That’s because I actually _was_ a bit of a bastard for a while,” Sasuke mutters. “And I’m not afraid of them. But Itachi...his choices weren’t like mine. All of them - _all of them_ \- were selfless. It just…!”

Giving a soft smile of understanding, Hinata reaches across the table and rests a hand atop Sasuke’s. His uncovered eye flickers to it, but he doesn’t move to pull away. “...I think it’s very telling about you that you feel so strongly for your brother this way. You want justice and fair treatment for him. That’s a v-very noble thing. But...I think Itachi has a point. Reacting and fighting back won’t change many - if any - minds. The only thing it would l-likely do is make them resent him all the more. Call him reactionary, unstable, violent...if he says he can handle it, then I believe him.”

“He shouldn’t _have_ to…”

“I know...I certainly don’t agree with it. But at the same time...you have to pick and choose your battles. If something serious were to happen, I’m sure Itachi would act. Until then...he knows his limits, and he’ll keep to them.”

Sasuke heaves a curt sigh. “...sometimes I wish we could leave.”

“...you do?”

“I do.” Rather than move his hand still covered by Hinata’s, he shifts his posture and gestures with the other. “...this village hasn’t really been home for a long time. Just...a place to be. The only thing keeping me here is my family. And honestly…? If I could convince them to leave, I would. Take them somewhere where they wouldn’t have to suffer this abuse. Any of them. Even Shisui gets it, and he didn’t do a damn thing wrong! And Itachi’s wife, their kids…” Teeth grit in a snarl. “They don’t deserve this.”

“...and you do?”

...he has no retort for that.

“I think...the best thing you can do is keep leading by example. Be the bigger person. Where people sling mud, stay your hand. Where people curse your name, hold your tongue. Prove that you’re not what they think you are. It might not convince everyone...but I’m sure some will, in time, come to realize who you all r-really are.”

Rather than reply, Sasuke just sighs, form wilting a hair.

“...after all... _I_ think you’re all good people. True, you’ve made some poor decisions...but in a lot of ways, you didn’t have any choice. And you did what you felt you had to for the g-greater good. Life is full of difficult choices. And no one makes the right ones _all_ the time. Not even those everyone praises. You’re trying to better yourself, and your village, and this world. _That_ is what matters. The only opinion you should worry about is your own. And I’m sure Itachi feels the same. Someday...things will get better. I’m sure of it.”

“...I hope so.”

Giving him a warm smile, the pair lapse into a quiet pause...and then Hinata realizes she’s still holding his hand. Going a bit pink, she carefully retrieves it. “S...sorry.”

“...nothing to apologize for, Hyūga.”

“Will you ever start calling me Hinata?”

“...one of these days,” he assures her, biting back a smile at her pout. “...but hey...thanks for listening. I know I bitch a lot. But I guess no one else wants to hear it.”

“I understand. And I’m glad you t-trust me enough to talk to me,” Hinata assures him gently.

“Right now, you’re about the only friend I’ve got.”

That...takes her by surprise.

Realizing he’s maybe said a bit too much, he glances aside, the tips of his ears pink. “...anyway...I should probably let you go. You’re a busy woman these days, right?”

“Well...yes,” she admits. “But...I’ve always got time for you, Sasuke-kun.”

“...same goes for you.” Refusing to let her pay her tab, he watches her get up and leave, not yet feeling like rising himself. A long sigh escapes his nose. He always feels so much...calmer after talking with her. She’s a good listener...reminds him a bit of Itachi’s wife. Must be why they’re such good friends.

Maybe she’s right...maybe he takes this all too seriously. But anger was his guiding emotion for so long...letting go of it isn’t so easy. And what better way to vent it than in defense of his family?

...he’ll try to rein it in. See if it makes a difference in how...irritated he gets at times. It’ll still likely piss him off - he can’t just _not_ hate people badmouthing his family. But he’ll try to be a bit more like his brother.

He can’t help but hope she’s right.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, more random ALAS stuff! Sasuke and Hinata having a little chit chat regarding Konoha's continued poor treatment of the Uchiha. That's a major factor in the post-699 arc of ALAS...but it goes far beyond some glaring and insult muttering. So HInata's advice, sadly, won't cut it for everyone...some are just a little too hateful.
> 
> And a little too dangerous.
> 
> But we've got a lil fluff amidst the angst! So maybe it's not quite so bad, lol - cute lil awkward beans!
> 
> Anyway, it's late, so I'ma go call it a night. Thanks for reading!


End file.
